---
title: Exams
date: May 2025
---
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Written by      Mohit Agarwal           Class of 2025
```

Exams are easily one of the most daunting endeavours a student faces
at St Andrews. Yet, with some straightforward preparation, they are
not as difficult as they might first seem. Exams can be categorized by
two factors:

* In-person _v._ take-home exams
* Technical answers _v._ written answers

## All exams

1. **Answer every question.** A wrong answer can get _some_ marks. No
   answer is guaranteed ___zero___.
2. Make sure, whether in person or digital, your marker can actually
   read your answers.
3. Be sure to get good rest and eat well before your exam.

## In-person exams

In-person exams require you to _memorize_ information
You might be required to memorize course content (e.g., theorems,
processes, or different case studies) or be required be familiar with
a reading list.

Start preparing well in advance; work begins the first lecture: 

1. Take good notes. Revision should not be a process of watching
   lectures and making notes on them, you should already be well
   versed with the content of the class --- this means paying
   attention.
1. Use practice papers. If you can answer questions from past papers
   well, then this will put you in a good place for your actual
   exam.[^past-papers]
1. Get used to writing for an extended time. On a similar note, find a
   pen you like using. If your exams uses one, get used to using a
   calculator or any other special stationary.

On the day of the exam:

1. Bring a clear bottle of water, your stationary and your
   matriculation card with you. If you do not have your matriculation
   card, bring another photo ID.
1. Get to the correct venue, early.
1. Read the entire paper before starting, you may wish to get an
   easier question out of the way to warm up.
1. Watch your time carefully --- consider how long you will spend on
   each question before you start writing. Then stick to that schedule
   as you work on the paper.

Personal tip:

* I like to write double spaced (leaving a line between each line I
  write). It makes my handwriting more legible and it allows me to
  easily make corrections or insertions without rewriting.

## Take home exams

Take home exams are provided online and you are given a certain amount
of time to complete the exam and upload your answer script. Advice
follows from in-person exams (above). However, if you are allowed to
access your materials during the exam then:

1. Ensure your materials are in a searchable format (e.g., Word
   document). This way you can quickly find information to help answer
   questions.
2. Pre-download all your materials, including any readings from a
   reading list, so they are quickly accessible.
3. Write your notes so that they are useful for answering questions
   (e.g., define key terms in your notes).
4. Prepare answers for common questions: if a question is likely to
   come up based on previous exam papers, then prepare an answer which
   you can quickly use/edit for the actual paper.

## Technical answers (Maths, Physics, etc.)

If you are required to memorize information:

1. Distil what you are required to know into its minimal version
   (e.g., extract key formulas, theorems, or information).
1. Use flashcards to memorize this information.
1. Learn _why_ something is the way it is: this will always help you
   to memorize it intuitively (e.g., learning a theorem by
   understanding its proof).

General tips:

1. **Show all your working.** An incorrect answer might get _some_
   marks with correct working shown. Ann incorrect answer alone will
   be awarded ___zero___ marks.
1. Double check calculations, including those done with a calculator.
1. Always answer in the required form (e.g., simplify fractions or
   exponents, use the correct number of significant figures, and use
   the correct units).

## Written answers (Philosophy, Art History, etc.)

1. When practising, plan answers for practice questions. Writing out
   full answers is not necessarily a productive use of your time.
   Instead, practice _more_ questions by writing detailed bullet point
   answers.
1. Learn a few readings in-depth rather than trying to learn every
   reading from the list: in-depth knowledge will assist your argument
   better than surface knowledge references to many authors.

[^past-papers]: I have met many people who did not know how to find
past papers for their subject. For _most_ subjects, login to
MySaint, and open the "My courses" tab. Then, scroll down to "Past exam
papers" and enter your module code. This is not the case for all
subjects. Maths, in particular, uses a different system.